The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

15 Now ^(A)I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the ^(B)gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, ^(C)in which you also stand, ² by which you also are saved, ^(D)if you hold firmly to ^[a]the word which I preached to you, ^(E)unless you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I handed down to you ^[b]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ^(G)for our sins ^(H)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was ^(I)raised on the third day ^(J)according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that ^(K)He appeared to ^[c](L)Cephas, then ^(M)to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some ^(N)have fallen asleep; ⁷ then He appeared to ^[d](O)James, then to ^(P)all the apostles; ⁸ and last of all, as ^[e]to one untimely born, ^(Q)He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am ^(R)the least of the apostles, ^[f]and not fit to be called an apostle, because I ^(S)persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by ^(T)the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I ^(U)labored even more than all of them, yet ^(V)not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

¹² Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there ^(W)is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and ^(X)if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. ¹⁵ Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified ^[g]against God that He ^(Y)raised ^[h]Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁷ and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; ^(Z)you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then also those who ^(AA)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are ^(AB)of all people most to be pitied.

The Order of Resurrection

²⁰ But the fact is, Christ ^(AC)has been raised from the dead, the ^(AD)first fruits of those who ^(AE)are asleep. ²¹ For since ^(AF)by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^(AG)as in Adam all die, so also in ^[i]Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ ^(AH)the first fruits, after that ^(AI)those who are Christ’s at ^(AJ)His coming, ²⁴ then comes the end, when He hands over ^(AK)the kingdom to our ^(AL)God and Father, when He has abolished ^(AM)all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign ^(AN)until He has put all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be ^(AO)abolished is death. ²⁷ For ^(AP)He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “^(AQ)All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that ^[j]this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. ²⁸ When ^(AR)all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that ^(AS)God may be all in all.

²⁹ For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized ^[k]for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized ^[l]for them? ³⁰ Why are we also ^(AT)in danger every hour? ³¹ I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that ^(AU)I die daily. ³² If ^[m]from human motives I ^(AV)fought with wild beasts at ^(AW)Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, ^(AX)let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ^33 (AY)Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ^34 (AZ)Sober up ^[n]morally and stop sinning, for some have ^(BA)no knowledge of God. ^(BB)I say this to your shame.

³⁵ But ^(BC)someone will say, “How are ^(BD)the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” ^36 (BE)You fool! That which you ^(BF)sow does not come to life unless it dies; ³⁷ and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of ^[o]something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body just as He wished, and ^(BG)to each of the seeds a body of its own. ³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of mankind, another flesh of animals, another flesh of birds, and another of fish. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

^42 (BH)So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown ^[p](BI)a perishable body, it is raised ^[q](BJ)an imperishable body; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in ^(BK)glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a ^(BL)natural body, it is raised a ^(BM)spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So also it is written: “The first ^(BN)man, Adam, became a living ^[r]person.” The ^(BO)last Adam was a ^(BP)life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man is ^(BQ)from the earth, ^[s](BR)earthy; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly one, ^(BS)so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ Just as we have ^(BT)borne the image of the earthy, ^[t]we ^(BU)will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Mystery of Resurrection

⁵⁰ Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that ^(BV)flesh and blood cannot ^(BW)inherit the kingdom of God; nor does ^[u]the perishable inherit ^[v](BX)the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold, I am telling you a ^[w](BY)mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be ^(BZ)changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for ^(CA)the trumpet will sound, and ^(CB)the dead will be raised ^[x]imperishable, and ^(CC)we will be changed. ⁵³ For this ^[y]perishable must put on ^[z](CD)the imperishable, and this ^(CE)mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ But when this ^[aa]perishable puts on ^[ab]the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “^(CF)Death has been swallowed up in victory. ^55 (CG)Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” ⁵⁶ The sting of ^(CH)death is sin, and ^(CI)the power of sin is the Law; ⁵⁷ but ^(CJ)thanks be to God, who gives us the ^(CK)victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

^58 (CL)Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in ^(CM)the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Foundations for Living

3 And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as ^(A)spiritual people, but only as ^(B)fleshly, as to ^(C)infants in Christ. ² I gave you ^(D)milk to drink, not solid food; for you ^(E)were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able, ³ for you are still fleshly. For since there is ^(F)jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking ^(G)like ordinary people? ⁴ For when ^(H)one person says, “I am ^[a]with Paul,” and another, “I am ^[b]with Apollos,” are you not ordinary ^(I)people?

⁵ What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? ^(J)Servants through whom you believed, even ^(K)as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. ^6 (L)I planted, ^(M)Apollos watered, but ^(N)God was causing the growth. ⁷ So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. ⁸ Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will ^(O)receive his own ^[c]reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s ^(P)fellow workers; you are God’s ^[d](Q)field, God’s ^(R)building.

¹⁰ According to ^(S)the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder ^(T)I laid a foundation, and ^(U)another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay a ^(V)foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ^13 (W)each one’s work will become evident; for ^(X)the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test ^[e]the quality of each one’s work. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will ^(Y)receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only ^(Z)so as through fire.

^16 (AA)Do you not know that ^(AB)you are a ^[f]temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys the ^[g]temple of God, God will destroy ^[h]that person; for the ^[i]temple of God is holy, ^[j]and that is what you are.

^18 (AC)Take care that no one deceives himself. ^(AD)If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in ^(AE)this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For ^(AF)the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is ^(AG)the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”; ²⁰ and again, “^(AH)The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are useless.” ²¹ So then, ^(AI)no one is to be boasting in people. For ^(AJ)all things belong to you, ^22 (AK)whether Paul or Apollos or ^[k]Cephas, or the world or ^(AL)life or death, or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, ²³ and ^(AM)you belong to Christ, and ^(AN)Christ belongs to God.

Servants of Christ

4 This is the way any person is to regard us: as ^(A)servants of Christ and ^(B)stewards of ^(C)the mysteries of God. ² In this case, moreover, it is required ^[a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. ³ But to me it is an insignificant matter that I would be examined by you, or by any human ^[b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. ⁴ For I ^(D)am not aware of anything against myself; however I am not ^(E)vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord. ⁵ Therefore ^(F)do not go on ^[c]passing judgment before ^[d]the time, but wait ^(G)until the Lord comes, who will both ^(H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then ^(I)praise will come to each person from God.

⁶ Now these things, brothers and sisters, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos on your account, so that in us you may learn not to exceed ^(J)what is written, so that no one of you will ^(K)become ^[e]arrogant ^(L)in behalf of one against the other. ⁷ For who considers you as superior? ^(M)What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

⁸ You are ^(N)already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you! ⁹ For I think, God has exhibited us, the apostles, last of all as men ^(O)condemned to death, because we ^(P)have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to mankind. ¹⁰ We are ^(Q)fools on account of Christ, but ^(R)you are prudent in Christ! ^(S)We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are without honor! ¹¹ Up to this present hour we are both ^(T)hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless; ¹² and we labor, ^(U)working with our own hands; when we are ^(V)verbally abused, we bless; when we are ^(W)persecuted, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we ^[f]reply as friends; we have ^(X)become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

¹⁴ I do not write these things to ^(Y)shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved ^(Z)children. ¹⁵ For if you were to have countless ^(AA)tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in ^(AB)Christ Jesus I ^(AC)became your father through the ^(AD)gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, be ^(AE)imitators of me. ¹⁷ For this reason I ^(AF)have sent to you ^(AG)Timothy, who is my ^(AH)beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, ^(AI)just as I teach everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Now some have become ^[g](AJ)arrogant, as though I were not ^(AK)coming to you. ¹⁹ But I ^(AL)will come to you soon, ^(AM)if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the ^[h]words of those who are ^(AN)arrogant, but their power. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is ^(AO)not in ^[i]words, but in power. ²¹ What do you desire? ^(AP)That I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?